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Poitín

Poitín is Ireland’s most ancient spirit and is often referred to as Ireland’s mezcal, cachaça, grappa and, most commonly, moonshine. The word is a diminutive of the Irish word pota, which means ‘pot’, and is a spirit with something of a dark and chequered history. For this reason it has always carried an element of intrigue.

Traditionally poitín is created using grain or potatoes as a base, which are made into a wash to be distilled in a homemade copper still. Open turf fires are then used to heat the still, before a corn flour and oatmeal paste is applied to seal the still joints to avoid alcohol loss. In order to determine the cut points, the distiller would throw a sample of the spirit onto the still and observe if it caught fire.

The earliest official records, at the time of writing, reveal that the first place poitín was distilled was in early Irish monastic settlements like Glendalough in the sixth century AD. Despite its heavy association with monks, the Church and the government took a very dim view of the spirit, and soon major legislative crackdowns on poitín production were commonplace.

After centuries of vilification and illicit distilation in hiding, legal production for export purposes was finally made legal in Ireland in 1987. Initially this was just for Oliver Dillon, from Bunratty Winery, but in 1989 the law was expanded. It wasn't until 1997 that the Irish Revenue Commissioners finally allowed the drink to be sold for consumption within Ireland. In 2008 it was granted Geographical Indicative Status by the EU.

Micil Irish Poitín comes to us from the beautiful coastal city of Galway on the west coast of Ireland. The spirit itself is grain-based, and flavoured with bogbean to give it a softly floral, spicy… More info

A 50cl bottle of Knockeen Hills' Irish Poteen Farmer's Strength, which is interestingly made using whey (instead of the more common grain or potato) and has been bottled at a generous 60% ABV. This… More info

Taking inspiration from the classic Irish spirit, Glendalough have created a high-strength variation of their own Poitín (though at a slightly lower ABV than a previous Mountain Strength expression). More info

The first spirit released from the Teeling Whiskey Distillery in Dublin is this superb Poitín - Teeling's take on this infamous and once-illegal traditional Irish spirit. Distilled in copper pot… More info

A new edition of Bán Poitín, released in 2015 at 48% ABV. They use a combination of potatoes, malted barley and sugar beets to create this intense Irish spirit. Poitín was banned in Ireland in the… More info

Irish Poteen or Poitín was outlawed in Ireland in the 17th century and it was only in the late 1990s that this finally changed. Often thought of as 'Irish moonshine' it can be made from grain or… More info

Particularly potent Irish Poteen here from Knockeen Hills. This example of the traditional Irish spirit has been bottled at 90% ABV, so use very sparingly and with plenty of your favourite mixer for… More info

Irish Poteen or Poitín is a traditional Irish spirit that was granted Geographical Indicative Status in 2008. Sometimes referred to as 'Irish moonshine', it had previously been illegal since the 17th… More info

A stupendously strong, quadruple distilled offering from Knockeen Hills at 90%abv! At this strength one can imagine why Irish Poteen (pronounced 'putcheen') was outlawed back in the 17th century! One… More info

Poitin, or Poteen, is the legendary, and perhaps infamous, Irish spirit which was illegal in Ireland for many years. Teeling's delicious Poitin is a blend of 80% triple-distilled corn spirit, and 20%… More info

This Glendalough Poitin is made using malted barley and sugar beet, and interestingly is allowed to mature in oak casks! Even more interestingly, the Irish distillers have treatedthis particular… More info

A limited edition bottling from Bán Poitín, made using a combination of potatoes, malted barley and sugar beets. What they've done here is take their traditional Irish spirit and fill it into barrels… More info

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